Long Road Back Pays Dividends For Mapp

Virginia Guard Making Presence Felt In Return

January 26, 2003|By DAVE JOHNSON Daily Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia coach Pete Gillen can admit it now: Not that long ago, he feared Majestic Mapp's basketball career was history. Each time the kid made progress, however small, something would set him back. Each time Mapp appeared to be within eyesight of returning, Gillen would get bad news from the trainer.

So just having him back on the floor-- forget being the X-factor in the Cavaliers' 85-75 win against Wake Forest on Thursday night -- is the real victory.

"That he played well is not the most important thing," Gillen said. "The fact that he got on the court after 21/2 years is a gift from God. In the beginning, we never thought he'd get on the court again. It was over. He was ready to cash in his chips."

Mapp was doing nothing more sinister than playing a pickup game in his high school gym on Aug. 2, 2000. He had become a legend in Harlem, and not just for his grandiose name (he has an older brother named Scientific, by the way). He became a McDonald's All-American and had a promising freshman season at Virginia in 1999-2000. But in a meaningless game with his buddies, he crashed to the floor.

The torn ACL in his right knee would eventually require four surgeries.

The first, a reconstructive procedure, took place on Aug. 29, 2000 -- two years and a day after he became Gillen's first commitment at Virginia. Three arthroscopic surgeries followed, and Mapp was expected to be ready for the 2001-02 season.

But another setback led to another major surgery. He missed yet another season, and you had to wonder: Would Majestic Mapp ever return?

Finally, on Jan. 11 -- 1,032 days after he had last played -- Mapp was back on the floor. Not for that long: After two minutes and 12 seconds against North Carolina, he was back on the bench. But it was a start. After sitting the next two games, he played six minutes Tuesday night at Virginia Tech. He drained a 3-pointer and had an assist in six minutes.

Thursday night against Wake Forest, in a game the Cavaliers were desperate to win, Gillen took a chance. Mapp played the final 6:43 of the first half and the opening 4:32 of the second half. In that span, he hit a 3-pointer and had three assists. More significantly, Virginia went from behind by six to ahead by eight. He played 17 minutes, more than Gillen had planned. And during those minutes, the Cavs outscored Wake 42-24.

If there's any rust, he's hiding it well.

"I shoot the ball every day and I dribble the ball every day," Mapp said. "The only thing I didn't do every day was run, because of the condition I was in. My game wasn't rusty because I was able to shoot and dribble every day. Hopefully I'll get a little further along every time out with the support of my teammates and the help of the coaching staff.

"That was just a start in overcoming what I've had to overcome the last 21/2 years. For the most part, I just want to get back to being one of the best players out there."

Virginia clearly needs him. With Mapp unavailable, Gillen was forced to press Keith Jenifer -- who was recruited as a career backup -- into starting duty as a freshman. Though Jenifer is among the league's quickest point guards, he is a liability on offense. Todd Billet is capable of playing the point but is the team's best outside threat and is more effective at shooting guard.

The Cavaliers also need his leadership.

Though he had played only 31 games, none in the past two seasons, Mapp was made a tri-captain in October. And when Mapp is on the floor, there's no question who is running the show.

"They listen to me, but they can't listen as much when I'm not on the court," Mapp said. "It helps a lot to be on the court because I can talk to them face to face and not have to pull them over to the side. I can just tell them when we're all together. My teammates have always been confident in me."

They also know what a difference he can make.

"He's a veteran guy and he's got great instincts," Billet said. "He's been out for (21/2) years, and that's such a long layoff to be able to come back and do what he's doing. That's pretty amazing. He has a presence about him on the court."

In 25 minutes this season, Mapp has looked surprisingly comfortable. His first shot, a 3-point try, rimmed out. His second, another trey, rattled in. He flipped a one-handed, 30-foot dart to Jason Clark for a dunk Thursday night that brought the house down. He capped a fast break with a last-second dish to Travis Watson for a layup. He found Billet curling off a screen for a 3-pointer. He pumped up the crowd. He pumped up his teammates.

Of course, you have to wonder: Will the other shoe fall? Each time Mapp makes progress, well, you know ...

"There hasn't been any setbacks for the last six weeks," Mapp said. "I'm going to have to ice my knee every day for the rest of my life, but it doesn't hurt. The ice is now maintenance because of the simple fact that the trainer told me we don't want any more setbacks. There's nothing I can do about that, but my knee doesn't hurt. It just feels great to be back out there."

Dave Johnson can be reached at 247-4649 or by e-mail at djohnson@dailypress.com